Colorado State running back Kapri Bibbs busts out

Sophomore back makes the most of his many chances

By Mike Brohard Sports Editor

Posted:
10/19/2013 08:45:17 PM MDT

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The offensive line had a goal, and Kapri Bibbs was the main benefactor.

Colorado State's offensive front controlled the line of scrimmage throughout Saturday's Border War game at War Memorial Stadium, and Bibbs came way with the best game of his career in the Rams' 52-22 victory.

"He's a player. He's a playmaker," CSU senior center Weston Richburg said. "As long as we open up holes for him, he's going to find them and be able to get big runs for us. It was awesome to see him do that."

Bibbs finished with career-bests of 29 carries and 201 yards, the first CSU running back to bolt past 200 yards in a game since Chris Nwoke rushed for 269 yards against Air Force in 2011.

It marked the second 100-yard game of the sophomore's career and his second three-touchdown game this season. He now has nine rushing touchdowns, matching what Nwoke did in 2011.

And there's still six games remaining. Bibbs has 630 yards on the season to lead Colorado State and he's still only started one game.

It started up front, where the Rams opened holes all day to the tune of 290 yards on the ground and finished with 509 yards of total offense. Donnell Alexander didn't have a bad day himself. Also a sophomore, he rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries as the team averaged 5.4 per rush in the game.

It didn't take long before Richburg felt the offensive line had met a goal.

Advertisement

"We knew we had to come in and be really physical with them," he said. "That was our first goal, to be very physical, wear them down. They were tired the second quarter. They didn't want any more."

But Bibbs kept giving it to them.

He had a scoring run of 7 yards to start the second quarter, then hit twice in the fourth quarter, once for 59 yards, the other from 9.

"We felt going in that kind of our strength was going to be, if we could eliminate run-throughs that hurt us against San Jose, if we could stalemate at a couple of spots up front and then get the backside cut off, that we had a chance to stretch and maybe hit some creases, that's what kind of runner Kapri is," McElwain said. "He is a true zone runner, and that's where I think he probably made most of his hay. He did a decent job with the combo block power, but I'm willing to guess the majority came off of that. He did what he was supposed to do."

While the Chicago product brings size and explosiveness to the backfield, he also proves he has some toughness in him. Before his first touchdown, the Rams faced third-and-2 from the Wyoming 21. On the carry, he was first met in the backfield, but pushed through the tackle to move the chains. Two plays later, he had paydirt and the Rams a 21-0 lead.

"He can run behind his pads," McElwain said. "That's very important as a runner, learning how to run behind your pads, and then picking up your feet through traffic, and he got better at that today. I thought that was kind of a defining moment. Put it on their shoulders and say let's go."

NEW YORK (AP) — Chrissie Hynde will tell the story of her life, with all its ups and downs. Penguin Random House announced Tuesday that the Pretenders singer was working on an "an incredibly frank" memoir that will come out Sept. Full Story